Carrie Underwood has been part of country music for 20 years, ever since winning Season 4 of American Idol in 2005. Still, it's Cody Johnson who got to show fans a new side of the superstar, with their "I'm Gonna Love You" duet.
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"When we were recording the band tracks of it, we actually FaceTimed her," Johnson recalls to his record label. "[I] was like, 'Listen to it. Sing along with this in the car."
The father of two reveals they had a few different key options to choose from, finding the perfect one for both of them.
"'Do we want to go here?'" Johnson remembers asking. "'Cause, if we go here, it's too high for me. And if we go here, it's kind of too low for you.' So we settled on a spot right in the middle. It would have been a half-step down from standard tuning. "And she told me, 'Man, two things I don't do are a low register and a love song, but here we are.'"
"I love it," he adds. "I thought it was a piece of Carrie that we haven't seen yet."
The Story Behind "I'm Gonna Love You"
"I'm Gonna Love You" was written by Travis Denning, Kelly Archer and Chris Stevens back in 2016. Denning first wanted to record the song with Underwood and also offered it to her to sing by herself. She politely declined, although she admits she liked the song. But when Johnson wanted to record it with her several years later, Underwood was ready.
"From the moment I heard this song, I heard Carrie's voice on it. It was a non-negotiable for me; either we sing it together, or I wouldn't sing it at all. It's that special to me," Johnson says. "Working with Carrie has been an absolute pleasure. She's not only one hell of a singer, but she's a class act all the way around. It warms my heart to work with someone who's seen so much success in their career and they're still so down to earth. I feel like this duet is going to be massive in so many ways, and I couldn't be prouder of it!"
